It was a day of collapses in the Ranji Trophy as Delhi and Punjab, who both looked set for a first innings lead conceded it before ending the day on top. There were also victories for Karnataka thanks to an inspired captain’s performance from R Vinay Kumar and an innings victory for Tamil Nadu courtesy of their pacers.
Despite an epic collapse following Yuvraj Singh’s dismissal 15 short of a century, which led to them conceding the first innings lead, Siddharth Kaul’s six-wicket haul helped Punjab end day three within touching distance of victory which looked elusive after lunch.
Punjab lost their last seven wickets for just 57 runs as they were bundled out for 319. However, in response, Uttar Pradesh were simply blown away by Kaul, who finished with figures of 6/27 as just three batsmen entered double digits and they were bowled out for 95.
Chasing 122 for victory, Punjab ended the day on 61/2 with Yuvraj Singh yet to come into bat for the second innings with the target just 51 runs away.
Punjab 319 (Y Singh 85) and 61/2 vs Uttar Pradesh 335 and 95
Having begun the day on 225/3 with two set batsman at the crease, Delhi looked set to overhaul Jharkhand’s first innings score of 493 and take the first innings lead in a match that was heading for a draw. But a dramatic collapse brought about by the fall of both Unmukt Chand and Rishabh Pant meant Delhi were bowled out for 334 and were asked to bat again before ending the day leading by 6 runs with nine wickets in hand.
From 261/3 and two centurions at the crease, Delhi lost their last seven wickets for 73 runs. This meant that Jharkhand not only had the first innings lead but also enforced the follow-on in the hopes of an outright victory. But Delhi recovered to end the day on 165/1, thanks to fifties from both openers and a lead of six runs going into the final day.
Delhi 334 (R Pant 117) and 165/1 vs Jharkhand 493
Having begun the day on 44/0, Baroda’s hopes of salvaging something from the game looked alright even if they had already conceded a first innings lead. However, a collapse reminiscent of their first innings meant they were bowled out for 200 to hand Tamil Nadu an innings victory inside three days.
K Vignesh followed up his five-wicket haul in the first innings with three more wickets in the second while Aushik Srinivas was the pick of the bowlers as he finished with 4/22 in just 14 overs to hand Tamil Nadu victory and maximum points before Tea on day three. Earlier, Abhinav Mukund continued his brilliant form by notching up his third century in this year’s Ranji Trophy.
Tamil Nadu 337 vs Baroda 93 and 200
A captain’s performance from Vinay Kumar, who scored a half-century and picked up a five-wicket haul in the second innings, helped Karnataka beat Vidarbha by 189 runs on day three of their clash at Vadodara. Having begun the day with a lead of 199, Karnataka were bowled out for 208 and Vidarbha needed 301 to win.
However, for the second time in the game, the batsmen couldn’t quite manage what was required as only two batsmen managed to get into double digits for Faiz Fazal's side. JM Sharma top scored with 61, the same tally he managed in the first innings but found no support as Vidarbha were bundled out for 111. Vinay Kumar scored 56 with the bat before finishing with figures of 5/28 to help his side claim victory with maximum points.
Vidarbha 176 and 111 vs Karnataka 267 and 209
An all-round effort from Jaydev Unadkat meant Saurashtra can still harbour hopes of victory despite conceding the first innings lead. Having begun the day on 121/9, Unadkat top-scored for his side with 46 to help his side reach 153. With the ball in hand, he fared even better as he finished with figures of 6/48 to bowl out Assam for 171. After conceding an 18 run lead, Saurashtra were hoping to navigate the tricky couple of overs at the end of the day without loss but failed to do as they finished on 0/1 from 2 overs.
Assam 171 (J Unadkat 6/48) vs Saurashtra 153 (J Unadkat 46*) and 0/1
Scores after day 3
Group A
Gujarat vs Bengal. Match called off after day 2.
Mumbai 345 vs Railways 160 and 135/4
Group B
Team Rajasthan 323 vs Odisha 172 and 244/2
Group C
Hyderabad vs Tripura. Match called off after day 2.
Kerala 404/9 vs Haryana 303 and 6/0
Himachal 370 vs Jammu and Kashmir 162 and 337/4
Goa 270 vs Chhattisgarh 198 and 95/2
Andhra 177/1 vs Services 446
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